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India’s role as a hub for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) is changing, and the hospitality industry is taking notice. Traditionally known for its focus on guest experience and on-the-ground service, the sector is now setting up GCC operations in India to rethink how it delivers innovation, embraces digital tools, and maintains high standards for hotels and resorts around the world.

In Hyderabad, McDonald’s and Marriott International recently joined the growing list of global firms establishing GCCs in the country. Marriott International announced its first-ever GCC in India, to be hosted in Hyderabad, positioning the centre as a strategic engine for driving transformation across its global business portfolio. According to the company, the new centre will house teams across technology, digital, analytics, finance, supply chain and customer experience – far beyond traditional backend support. McDonald’s, too, opened its first India GCC in Hyderabad, underscoring the city’s role as a rising magnet for non-tech GCC investments. Hospitality brands are increasingly viewing India as a key hub for capability and innovation.

“The Indian office market scale-up is being characterised by increasing diversification of occupier base and heightened space uptake by GCCs,” notes Vimal Nadar, National Director & Head, Research at Colliers India. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, India recorded 50.9 million square feet of leasing, of which GCCs accounted for nearly 20 million square feet of Grade-A office space. Crucially, non-tech companies are driving much of this surge. “Such companies have already leased more than 12 million sq ft of Grade-A space – a 60% share, compared to 40–45% earlier,” Nadar told The GCC Hub. This reinforces the increasingly strategic role of GCCs as hubs for innovation, research, product development and service excellence.

The hospitality sector’s move into the GCC domain is timely. Global hotel chains are facing rising customer experience expectations, digital disruption, loyalty reinvention and a post-pandemic reset in travel behaviours. GCCs in India offer the talent, digital capability and analytical depth to help hospitality brands redesign experiences, optimise operations and personalise guest engagement at scale.

India’s GCC ecosystem has matured to a point where cross-sector learning, particularly from tech, retail and BFSI, can be effectively transferred into the hospitality sector. Whether it’s AI-driven guest personalisation, centralised revenue and pricing analytics, digital loyalty platforms, or contact centre modernisation, hospitality can now tap into India’s established digital and innovation talent pool.

While GCCs are expanding across multiple Indian cities, Hyderabad is emerging as a standout hub for the hospitality sector. “Hyderabad will continue to witness traction due to affordable rentals, skilled talent availability and infrastructure development – drawing global firms across niche sectors such as hospitality and life sciences,” Nadar added. With its robust ecosystem, the city is becoming a preferred destination for capability centres seeking scale with sophistication.

As luxury brands such as Marriott expand in India, the hospitality sector’s focus on the country appears strategic and long-term. With the industry joining the GCC movement, innovation is increasingly being shaped in India’s advanced capability hubs, not just hotel lobbies.